DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a comprehensive program to teach skills needed to hunt upland game. This program is geared towards women 18 years of age and older who have had little to no upland bird hunting experience. The workshop is also an excellent opportunity for women looking to return to the field and build a network of female upland hunters.

The program includes a classroom portion and a field portion. The classroom portion is scheduled for Nov. 18, from 6-8 p.m., at the Olofson Shooting Range, in Polk City. Participants will learn about the proper equipment, places to hunt, safe shooting practices, and how to field dress, butcher and cook pheasants. The event also includes mentored hunts on Nov. 19 and Dec. 10, at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, near Prairie City. “For women interested in the challenge of upland hunting as a means of sourcing their own protein, this program provides the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge it takes to do it all yourself,” said Jamie Cook, program coordinator with the Iowa DNR.

The cost for the program is $45. Participants will receive a hat, vest and a Pheasants Forever membership provided by the Northern Polk Pheasants Forever Chapter. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For more information and to begin the registration process, go to http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=dep4qyuab&oeidk=a07ej9evnm1668f8d0b

The program is provided through a partnership with the Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever. It is part of a national effort to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters due to the overall decline in hunting and outdoor recreation.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Eighteen lakes across Iowa are gearing up to receive trout this fall. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will release between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at each location as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer months.  “Grab your neighbors, friends and kids and try trout fishing this fall,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau. “It’s time well spent. The fish are here, easy to catch and good to eat.”

The fall community trout stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A small hook with a night crawler or corn under a small bobber or small simple spinners such as a Panther Martin or Mepps is all you need to get in on the fun. Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing. A family friendly event is often paired with the stocking to help anglers have success and fun while fishing.

The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.

2022 Fall Community Trout Stocking Schedule

Oct. 19, Heritage Pond, Dubuque, 3 p.m.

Oct. 19, North Prairie Lake, Cedar Falls, 3 p.m.

Oct. 20, Moorland Pond, Fort Dodge, 1 p.m.

Oct. 20, Sand Lake, Marshalltown, 1 p.m.

Oct. 21, Liberty Centre Pond, North Liberty, 9:30 a.m.

Oct. 21, Ottumwa Park Pond, Ottumwa, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 22, Discovery Park, Muscatine, 9:30 a.m.

Oct. 22, East Lake Park Pond, Mount Pleasant, 10 a.m.

Oct. 22, Wilson Lake, Fort Madison, 11 a.m.

Oct. 24, Bacon Creek, Sioux City, 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 27, Lake Petocka, Bondurant, Noon

Oct. 27, Terra Lake, Johnston, Noon

Oct. 28, Triumph Park West, Waukee 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 28, Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake, Ames, Noon

Oct. 28, Big Lake, Council Bluffs, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 5, Scharnberg Pond, Spencer, 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 18, Prairie Park (Cedar Bend), Cedar Rapids, 10 a.m.

Nov. 23, Blue Pit, Mason City, 11 a.m.

Find more information about trout fishing in community lakes on the DNR trout fishing webpage.

(Statewide News) – Iowa’s 2022 pheasant season is expected to be another good one when more than 60,000 plus blaze orange clad hunters take to the fields on Oct. 29. And based on the results of the August pheasant survey, hunters can afford to be optimistic. “Our bird numbers are similar to last year so that should make some folks pretty happy,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “I think we’re set up for a good hunting year for pheasants, especially in northwest, west central and north central regions. Central too. Quail is also looking good in southwest and south-central Iowa.”

The annual August roadside survey found Iowa’s statewide pheasant population to be essentially unchanged from 2021 at slightly under 20 birds per 30-mile route. Iowa’s pheasant counts mirrored what was happening across much of the pheasant belt. North Dakota and Nebraska were essentially status quo – like Iowa, Minnesota was slightly higher and Kansas was down due to the drought. South Dakota doesn’t conduct population surveys. Based on the survey results, Iowa hunters can expect to harvest 300,000 to 400,000 roosters this year, which is similar to last year, when the harvest was the highest in more than a decade.

The pheasant harvest is heavily dependent on hunter numbers and the past two years had the highest number of pheasant hunters since 2009. An estimated 63,000 hunters participated in 2021, a slight increase over 2020, and based on the number of phone calls Bogenschutz is receiving, the interest from nonresidents continues to rise. “I’ve gotten calls from hunters in Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, New York – all interested in coming out to pheasant hunt,” he said. While bird counts were not as high as the top regions, the pheasant populations have improved in the east central and southeast regions. Something to note, he said, is that portions of western and northwestern Iowa impacted by the drought were opened to haying CRP and while the haying was not likely as wide spread as last year, it would still be advised for hunters to scout the area they plan to hunt prior to the season.

Based on the August roadside survey, Iowa pheasant hunters can expect similar hunting as 2021, when they harvested the most birds in more than a decade. Iowa’s pheasant season is Oct. 29-Jan. 10, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.

Iowa’s pheasant season is Oct. 29-Jan. 10, 2023, shooting hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The daily bag limit is three rooster pheasants with a possession limit of 12. Hunters must have a valid hunting license and habitat fee. Hunters are required to wear at least one article of external clothing with at least 50 percent of its surface area solid blaze orange: hat, cap, vest, coat, jacket, sweatshirt, shirt or coveralls. The same blaze orange rule applies while hunting quail, gray partridge and ruffed grouse. If hunting on public land that requires nontoxic shot, hunters are encouraged to plan ahead to pick up shells.

Iowa’s young hunters will get to experience the first cackle and flush of the year during the youth only pheasant season Oct. 22-23, and the 2022 season should be good. The residents-only youth season gives Iowans age 15 and younger the opportunity to hunt for rooster pheasants without purchasing a license, habitat fee or taking hunter education. Youths must hunt under direct supervision of an adult age 18 or older that has a valid hunting license and habitat fee. Last year, nearly 6,000 youth participated, harvesting more than 2,500 roosters. Special youth only seasons allows young hunters an opportunity for success without pressure or competition from other hunters. Only the youth are allowed shoot pheasants and they may bag one rooster per day.

Iowa hunters have been using the interactive Iowa hunting atlas to find new places to go hunting. The hunting atlas features more than 680,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. It’s available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting.